


Port In A Storm

by pikablob



Category: Camp Camp (Web Series)
Genre: Adoption, David & Gwen Adopt Max (Camp Camp), David & Gwen Adopt Nikki (Camp Camp), David Acting as Max's Parental Figure | Dadvid (Camp Camp), Gen, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, Implied/Referenced Child Neglect, Mild Hurt/Comfort, Nikki's Mother's Bad Parenting
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-09-22
Updated: 2019-09-22
Packaged: 2020-10-26 00:02:06
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,963
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20732900
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/pikablob/pseuds/pikablob
Summary: Tired of her mom neglecting her, Nikki runs away to the one family she knows that care about her; David & Gwen.





	Port In A Storm

It was a quiet, rainy September evening in the Pinewood-Sanchez household. David was in the kitchen doing the ironing, humming the Camp Campbell tune as he did, the quiet patter of the downpour outside providing a backdrop. Most of the clothes in the waiting pile were his, minus a couple shirts of Gwen’s, so he pretty much always tended to do it. Besides, it gave him time to think.

He looked over at the fridge, dotted with photographs of him, Gwen, and Max. The one holding pride of place was of the day they’d gotten permission to officially foster the boy: they’d gone out for pizza, and David had got the waiter to take a photo. They were all smiling and holding back happy tears, even Max. David smiled at the memory.

It had been a big change for all of them; going into summer alone, literally in David and Gwen’s case, and coming out together. Max, however, had seen the most upheaval, having a family that cared for him for the first time in his short life.

He smiled more now, even if still fleetingly. The sarcasm and cynicism were still there, but the bitterness was faded and his words were free from any real barbs. He talked more and only pretended to hate it when his family or friends showed affection. All in all, David marvelled at how far the kid had come.

But the past couple of days hadn’t been so good. He seemed to have retreated back into his shell, isolating himself again. He’d quickly brushed off any questions about how he was feeling, so David had been giving him space, trusting that Max would come to him or Gwen when ready.

There was the soft padding of footsteps against the kitchen tiles. David looked up, just in time to see Max averting his gaze. The boy wordlessly opened the fridge, rummaging for a moment before pulling out a small pudding cup. He then made for the cutlery drawer.

“Hi, Max,” David offered.

“Hey.” Max opened the drawer, only to freeze when his (or rather David’s stolen) phone buzzed. He pulled it out quickly, only to almost deflate when he saw the screen and slowly stuff it back into a hoodie pocket. He took a small spoon from the drawer, then almost slammed it shut before walking out. David frowned, half wanting to say something.

* * *

Max kept walking, across the apartment’s narrow hallway and into the living room. Gwen was already inside, slouched on the couch in front of some trashy reality show. Normally he would’ve joined her, if only to laugh at how dumb and obviously staged it all was, but right now he wasn’t in the mood. Today something was weighing on his mind, so he just hovered near the couch while he tried to get his thoughts in order.

“Hey, Gwen?” he asked, cringing as his voice cracked involuntarily. Gwen muted the TV, before looking over to him with a concerned expression on her face.

“Oh, hey Max, what’s up?”

“It’s stupid,” he began, “But can I talk to you?”

“Sure,” she shrugged, before scooting over to give him space to sit beside her. He reluctantly did, plopping himself down on the edge of the couch cushion. “Though you’re sure you don’t want to talk to David?”

“He’ll blow everything out of fucking proportion,” he explained. “It’s just, you know how me and Nikki and Neil have stayed in contact? Not a fucking day goes by when we aren’t talking about something. But then Nikki just stopped. I haven’t heard from her in three days!”

Gwen opened her mouth to say something, but Max kept talking.

“And I know shit happens sometimes, but…” he trailed off for a moment, struggling to find the words, before sighing and continuing. “Before she went offline she was telling us about her mom. You remember her, right?” 

“Kinda?”

“She didn’t even remember which fucking camp she sent her kid to,” Max deadpanned. “Nik says she’s out all the time, comes home late and drunk or not at all and does jack shit. Nik has to get her own meals most days; her mom doesn’t give a shit; she doesn’t care about her own fucking kid!” There was a strain in his voice as he said that. “And after Nik sent all that stuff she’s just stopped texting.”

“That… doesn’t sound good,” Gwen admitted, trying to remember the woman. All that came to mind was the disaster her and Neil’s father had caused.

“I’m not trying to say she’s like my parents,” Max went on, unable to stop himself, “Shit, I would’ve killed for parents who didn’t give a shit until you and David came along, but you know how mad my folks got when I told you guys all the shit they did. What if Nikki’s mom’s the same? Or something worse happened?”

Gwen put an arm around him. He didn’t protest.

“I’m just sick of feeling so fucking helpless about this whole thing.”

“Hey,” Gwen said firmly, “Look, I get it, but there’s not much you could’ve done besides telling us. So don’t go beating yourself up.” She sighed. “But I agree something’s up. I’ll get David to call Miss Whatshername tomorrow; if anyone can help it’s her.”

‘Miss Whatshername’ was Max’s social worker; David was the only one who could ever remember her name, so behind her back the nickname had stuck.

“Ok,” Max said quietly, gaze on the floor. He checked his phone one last time, but there was still nothing.

* * *

Nikki was freezing. The rain was pouring down now, splattering against the pavement and turning the gutters into churning rivers. Her clothes were soaked through, dripping more water onto the already-slick concrete. She hurried on.

She rounded a final bend, pausing only for a second to check the street sign, and found herself face to face with a small apartment block. Lights danced in the windows above, flickering through the gaps at the edge of curtains. She shivered involuntarily, longing to be inside; as much as nature ruled, a storm like this one would send any animal running.

She approached the door; beside it and thankfully under cover was a panel covered in numbered buttons. She paused, coughing involuntarily, then looked up at it. Her gaze quickly found number seven, and she hit it with all the vigour she could muster. There was a buzzing sound, then silence.

A tiny part of her still said this was an awful idea, but she had never listened to that part before and she wasn’t about to start. Besides: what was the worst that could happen?

Footsteps sounded behind the door. She looked up as it opened; David let out a startled yelp the moment he saw her, stepping back. Max shoved past his legs, stumbling out just far enough that the rain began to dampen his hoodie.

“Nikki?!” he blurted. “What the hell are you doing here?!”

“I ran away!” she replied with as much vigour as she could muster, despite how cold and tired she felt.

“What?!” he blinked, before looking her up and down.

“You’re shivering,” David interjected, shaking off the shock of her arrival. “You’d better come inside, quickly.” She didn’t hesitate, hurrying in. Max followed, pulling the door shut behind him.

Inside they could get a proper look at her. She was pale and haggard, heavy bags under her eyes from a lack of sleep on her trip. The rain had left her soaked, and she’d developed a few more cuts and bruises than usual, although that was par for the course.

“You ran away?” Max said, uncharacteristic concern in his voice. “Is that why you haven’t been talking to me and Neil?”

“Yup,” she replied weakly.

“You had me-” he cut himself off. “You had us worried sick.”

“I’m fine,” she asserted, “See?”

“Kids,” David interjected again. “We can talk about what happened later. Right now, we need to get you warm and dry.” Before she could say anything else he bent down and scooped her up in his arms. What immediately struck her was the warmth as she was cradled against his chest.

He started walking, heading for the apartment block stairs. Max followed closely behind.

“You know we thought you were the pizza guy, right?”

“Nope.”

They walked up onto the upper floor, before stopping in front of a small red door with a brass number seven. David started fumbling for his keys, trying to reach into his pockets without dropping the child in his arms. Max just rolled his eyes and produced his own set, opening the door.

“Woah,” Nikki smiled, “David let you have your own keys?”

“Yeah,” he shrugged.

The door swung open to reveal a narrow hallway with multiple rooms branching off. David stepped inside, before brushing his shoes on the mat and kicking them off. Max did the same.

“Hey,” Gwen’s voice echoed as she stepped out of the living room, only for her eyes to go wide as she took in the scene. “…that’s not the pizza.”

“I ran away…” Nikki began, only for her voice to disappear into a series of coughs. Max winced. David gently placed a hand on her forehead, frowning as he felt her temperature.

“How long were you out there?” he asked, concerned. “You’re running a bad fever.”

“I left home on Wednesday,” she croaked.

“That’s three days in the open,” he breathed, “That’s really dangerous; you’re lucky you made it here with only a cold.” She shivered again, forcing herself not to think about that. “Right now we need to get you warm and dry,” he continued. “You could probably use a shower.”

She shrugged; on the one hand, she was covered in three days of dirt, sweat, and mud; on the other none of that stuff really bothered her. It was the dampness that she didn’t like, and showers weren’t exactly known for keeping people dry.

“It’s the best way to warm up,” Max said quickly.

“Then okay!” she smiled. David nodded, carrying her over to the bathroom. He set her down gently on the floor, and reached over to turn the shower on.

“I’ll just set it to a nice temperature,” he explained. “Max, could you go and get some of your pajamas for her to wear?”

“Yeah, sure,” Max said, walking begrudgingly towards his room.

“Clean pajamas,” Gwen added. He just rolled his eyes.

Satisfied the shower was running warm, David stepped back towards the door. He reached into one of the cupboards under the sink, pulling out a fluffy white towel and putting it on the drying rack. “Once you’ve had enough, use that,” he smiled, “Then come find us. I’ll have Max leave the clothes outside for you.”

“Thanks,” she replied. He nodded, stepping into the hallway and shutting the door to give her privacy.

She immediately squirmed out of her soaking overalls, scrambling into the warmth of the shower. It was heaven; she could feel it driving the cold from her body. She couldn’t remember the last time she’d had a warm shower, with her mother’s inconsistency when it came to paying the heating bill.

After a quick scrub, and a few minutes just to let the heat sink in, she turned it off and stumbled back out. She pulled the towel from the rail and wrapped it around herself, glad for the extra warmth.

Cautiously she pushed open the door just enough to peer out; the hallway was empty of people, but sure enough a yellow T-Shirt and a pair of soft pajama trousers had been left out. She snatched both up and pulled them on, before stuffing the towel awkwardly back onto the rail and stepping out.

There were two other doors, both shut, and then a bend in the corridor that hid the front door and living room and kitchen doors. She headed that way, wandering along the worn green carpet.

As she rounded the corner she nearly barrelled into Max, leaning against the nearside wall. He tried to look nonchalant, but it was clear he’d been waiting for her.

“Come with me?” he said quickly. She nodded, and he lead her into the small apartment living room. As she walked she could hear David and Gwen talking from the kitchen, though the closed door muffled whatever they were saying.

Max perched on the old couch, patting the seat beside him. On the arm next to the spot was a large fluffy blanket piled in a heap; she picked it up and pulled it around herself, snuggling into the soft fabric.

“Aww,” she croaked, “Thanks.” She reached out an arm, blanket and all, and put it around his shoulders. He let out a sound of begrudging acceptance and scooted closer.

Warm and safe, she felt her facade begin to crack, and the smile faded. Max reached for the remote, only to notice and stop.

“Hey,” he said slowly, “How come you decided to run now? What made you give up on your mom?”

“I just got sick of being alone,” she said quietly, “Mom’s out all the time, coming back at weird times and with all these men I’ve never met. Most’ve ‘em don’t like me. I have to get my own food and stuff all the time cause she’s just not there. And you were taking all the time about how David and Gwen helped when your parents didn’t care cause they do so I came here. I don’t wanna go back.” She felt a lump forming in her throat, and the telltale wetness in her eyes.

To her surprise, she felt Max’s arm awkwardly reach over her shoulders.

“So your mom’s a piece of shit,” he said, quiet yet firm, “That sucks ass, I get it, but she’s not your only family. You’re right about David and Gwen, and you’ve got Neil too, and me. Just cause your birth family’s fucked doesn’t mean that’s all you’ve got.”

“Really?”

“Take it from me,” he put on a small smile, “Y’know that’s what they’re talking about, right? How they’re gonna take you in?”

“Huh?”

“What, you thought they’d actually let you go home after this?” he said firmly. “They care too much, we all do, because somebody fucking has to.”

“Thanks,” she smiled again, rubbing at her eyes to wipe away the tears.

There was a soft padding of feet from towards the doorway. Both kids looked up to see David entering, a packet of cold medicine in hand, a glass of water in the other, and a concerned smile on his face.

“Feeling better?” he asked softly, kneeling down in front of the pair.

“Yeah,” Nikki replied, before coughing again.

“Have one of these,” he offered, taking a tablet from the box and handing it to her. She ate it straight from his hand, before snatching the water and downing the whole thing in one large gulp.

“Now,” his smile faded, “We need to talk about some more serious things.” She raised an eyebrow, though she had a good idea what was coming. He placed one hand gently on her shoulder. “I know your mother may not have been taking proper care of you, but running away wasn’t the right solution. Travelling that far alone just isn’t safe.”

“What the fuck else was she supposed to do?” Max suddenly protested.

“Language, Max,” David chided, before turning back to Nikki. “Hopefully it won’t happen, but if you ever end up in a situation like that again, where you’re alone and have nobody to turn to, please just call me or Gwen. We would’ve been happy to come pick you up.”

“Huh,” she tilted her head, “Guess I shoulda thought of that.”

“It’s okay,” he said gently, “Just please, don’t put yourself in that kind of danger again.”

“Mhmm,” she nodded firmly.

“Anyway,” he continued, “I’ve been on the phone with Miss Roaninish.”

“Who?”

“Max’s social worker,” he explained, “It’s her job to make sure that kids get families who actually care about them. She’s agreed to have you officially removed from your mother’s care, and placed with us.”

“Told you so,” Max interjected.

“On one condition,” David continued.

“What do I have to do?” Nikki asked, more than a little nervously. She looked away

“She’s going to visit tomorrow,” he said seriously, “To talk to you. I need you to be honest and tell her everything about your mother and why you ran away.”

“Okay,” she said quietly. “Can you be there when I do?”

“Of course,” he smiled warmly, “We’ll all be there, if you want. Right, Max?”

“Yeah, sure,” Max shrugged, a ghost of a smile on his face.

“Then I’ll do it,” she said firmly. “I wanna stay here, with you guys.”

“I’m proud of you.” David stood up, before plopping himself down on the sofa beside the kids. “Room for one more?”

“Fine,” Max rolled his eyes. He reached for the remote again, turning the TV on. Nikki just smiled.

“Hey everyone,” Gwen’s voice suddenly sounded through the room. The trio turned to see her walking in, a stack of pizza boxes in her arms. “Look what arrived!” She looked at Nikki. “We only got three cause we had no idea you were coming, but there’s probably enough for us to share.”

“Okay,” the girl beamed. Gwen handed out the boxes and sat down on the kids’ other side, and a delicious smell filled the air as they were opened.

Nikki grabbed a slice before anyone else could, devouring it in seconds. She was grinning ear to ear, comfortably sandwiched between people who cared about her. In that moment she knew it didn’t matter what her mom did; she had a family, and she was home.


End file.
